In photos: Thousands of Spanish loyalists march for unity in Barcelona following Catalan referendum

Thousands of Spanish loyalists marched through Barcelona calling for unity yesterday (October 8), after Catalonia held an independence referendum last week.

The march was organised by the Societat Civil Catalana (Spanish Civil Society), which claimed that nearly 1 million people had marched in support of unity. However the police claim only 350,000 people were at the event.

The slogan of the march was "for the restoration of seny," which means common sense, according to The Independent.

Both Spanish and Catalan flags were used in the march and many held placards with phrases such as "Catalonia is Spain" and "together we are stronger."

The Catalan referendum held last week went against the ruling of the government and resulted in several clashes between independence supporters and members of the Guardia Civil police force.

Almost 900 people were reportedly injured as the attempted vote took place and a number of ballot boxes were seized by police.

Despite this, it was claimed that 90% of those who voted wanted Catalonia to gain independence. However the turnout for the vote was just 43%.